The White House has refused repeated attempts by journalists to produce pictures of President Obama and his team in the White House Situation Room during the 9-11 Benghazi terrorist attacks [3:30pm to 11:00pm Eastern Time].

Personally, after researching the offical reports minute by minute, and comparing them to the media released statements, I believe the Situation Room was empty.

(Sept. 11, 2012) – ”Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor, left, updates the President and Vice President on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Chief of Staff Jack Lew are at right.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

So this picture was taken four hours after the fire-fight started, and they are NOT in the “situation room”. We know the video & audio feed from the Benghazi faux-State Dept. Consulate was live; So, simultaneous to this photograph it was 1:26am Benghazi Time. That is the exact time (01:30am) the rescue team of Navy SEAL’s Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty arrived back in the CIA annex with the body of Sean Smith.

The first Reuters report did not hit the media until 00:30am on Sept. 12th, and was not reported on TV until approx 00:45 eastern (6:45am Benghazi) as a “breaking story”.

POTUS “Schedule Binder” is on the couch in front of Donilon, it is closed. Someone is visible in the reflection at the collar of McDonough. Someone else is visible (seated) in the reflection over the shoulder of Lew. Neither are the photographer.

Biden is holding scratch notes [of events?] including people. One of the first notes is “Rice to BD or BB” (?) (Click HERE For BIG VERSION) [4096 x 2731 pixel]

Reports ‘after the fact’ stated President Obama went to bed at 00:30am – while Ambassador Stevens was still missing. President Obama spoke in the Rose Garden at approximately 11am 9/12 before flying to Nevada for a campaign fundraiser.

Update 2. Need Comparison Timeline from “official” WH/state dept. reports as to who was where, when. So we can compare them to “official” state dept./Pentagon timeline for actual attack happening on ground in Benghazi.

Also, what were offical schedules for players? on that date.

Update 3. Possible the notes in Biden’s hand have to do with phone call earlier to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which occurred on same date. White House Link

Sept 11, 2012 President Obama spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu for an hour tonight as a part of their ongoing consultations. The two leaders discussed the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, and our close cooperation on Iran and other security issues. (link)

Washington (CNN)– President Barack Obama talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call Tuesday night about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program, according to a White House statement.

Obama placed the call to Netanyahu, a senior administration official told CNN. […] The Obama administration pushed back later Tuesday… (link)

However, non of this changes the aspect of inquiry. If the attack began at 3:30pm (DC time) 9:30pm (Benghazi) – Then what was happening at 7:30pm when this picture was taken? Obviously POTUS was not situationally aware. Was this the “first” notification of the crisis? Yet it is a FULL FOUR HOURS after the attack began?

Timeline of 9/11 Benghazi Consulate Attack According to CBS:

Ambassador Stevens sent cables to DC citing security incidents and “growing frustration with police and security forces who were too weak to keep the country secure.”

CBS elaborated on the video protest in Cairo, nearly 750 miles away.

9:00 p.m. – Ambassador Stevens goes to bed. There are five security agents on site, three based in Benghazi and two traveling with Stevens. The front gate is staffed by Libyan security guards.

9:40 pm – Gunfire is heard and dozens of armed people flow through the gate at the main entrance. The CIA security team in the annex and the Libyan 12th of February Brigade, which they claim is one of the most powerful militias serving as a presence in Benghazi. The embassy in Tripoli and State Department command are notified.

State Dept. Diplomatic Security follow the events in real time via audio.

All but one agent in the compound leaves to get gear in another building. The mob sets fire to the Libyan barracks on site. The agent with the Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith, Scott Strickland, secures the men in an unvented windowless room.

The attackers get into the building where the Ambassador, Smith and Stickland are hiding. They set it on fire. Strickland leaves by a window but the two men are not behind him. He returns to look for them several times but can’t find them because of the heavy smoke. He goes to the roof and radios the other agents.

Three agents return to look for the men and find Smith’s body which they take with them.

Hillary Clinton is told of the incident shortly after it began at 4 pm DC time, 10 pm Benghazi time, and she in turn calls Libyan President Mohammed Magariaf to enlist his support.

10:05 pm: government and intelligence agencies re alerted including the White House Situation Room, the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the FBI. They are informed that ”US Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi Under Attack” — “approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well. Ambassador Stevens, who is currently in Benghazi, and four COM (Chief of Mission/embassy) personnel are in the compound safe haven.”

10:25 pm: A six-member CIA team arrives at the annex with 40 to 60 members of the Libyan brigade. They remove Smith’s body.

10:54 p.m. (4:54 p.m. ET): An alert from the State Dept. Operations Center: “the firing… in Benghazi has stopped. A response team is on site attempting to locate COM personnel.”

11 p.m. (5 p.m. ET): Just ahead of the weekly meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon tells President Obama of the attack and the fire at the main villa. The president is updated several times throughout the evening.

At the compound, the 17th of February Brigade says they can’t hold the perimeter and withdraws.

DS agents make final search for Stevens and leave with the CIA team in an armored vehicle heading for the annex, taking fire along the waInside room of murdered U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens

Of note, when CBS News’ Elizabeth Palmer visited the compound in one of several trips to Libya, she found little evidence of an extensive firefight at the compound’s walls and main gate, likely indicating the fiercest fighting occurred away from the compound.

Midnight (6 p.m. ET) Agents arrive at the annex, which receives sporadic small-arms fire and RPG rounds over a roughly 90-minute period. The security team returns fire and the attackers disperse.

12:07 a.m. (6:07 p.m. ET): An alert from the State Dept. Operations Center states that the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli reports the Islamic military group “Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibilty for Benghazi Attack”… “on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli.”

Around 12:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. ET): The Pentagon issues an order to a special operations team in Europe to move to Sigonella, Sicily – less than one hour’s flight away from Benghazi. Over the next three hours an additional special operations team based in the U.S. is ordered to deploy to Sigonella. Neither arrived in time.

1:00 a.m. (7 p.m. ET): The first of two unmanned U.S. Predator drones, which already had been flying over eastern Libya, is diverted to Benghazi, as reported by CBS News’ Sharyl Attkisson and David Martin on Oct. 15.

WH PHOTO TAKEN AT THIS TIME

1:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. ET): A U.S. security team from Embassy Tripoli lands in Benghazi and learn that the ambassador is missing. They try to arrange for transportation into town, with the goal of locating Stevens.

4:07 a.m. (10:07 p.m. ET): Secretary Clinton issues a statement acknowledging the death of one State Dept. officer.

5:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m.): A second U.S. Predator drone arrives, per CBS News’ Attkisson and Martin.

5:15 a.m. (11:15 p.m. ET): The U.S. Regional Security Office in Tripoli gets a phone call from an Arabic-speaking source who says a Westerner has been found in Benghazi and is perhaps at a hospital. It’s believed to be Ambassador Stevens. Transfer to airport is arranged.

At around the same time, the additional security team finds transportation from the airport under the escort of the Libyan Shield, another local militia, but decides to head to the annex after learning that Stevens was almost certainly dead. Just after their arrival, the annex takes mortar fire, sustaining three direct hits. The precision of the attacks indicates a level of sophistication and coordination.

Former U.S. Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty are killed in the mortar assault, which lasts just 11 minutes before dissipating; a DS agent and annex security member are severely wounded.

After the mortar attack, about 30 Americans evacuate the annex and head to the airport, with the assistance of the Libyan security convoy.

Ambassador Stevens is confirmed dead later that morning, as Americans see his body at the airport

The plane is too small for all of the Americans, so the first flight out takes U.S. diplomats and civilians to Tripoli, leaving behind security staff and bodies.

8:00 a.m. (2 a.m. ET): The second flight leaves Benghazi for Tripoli with U.S. security members and bodies.

President Obama is told of Stevens’ death. State Department tells all diplomatic posts around the world to review their security posture and to take all necessary steps to enhance it

Update 5. More people concur, the notes in Biden’s hand pertain to the phone convo with Netanyahu – not benghazi. There is a time of 6:2(?) written in his notes. This could be a Benghazi convo immediately following that phone call. (*off subject* funny how the media never reported Biden was on the phone — propping up inept Obama?)

However, knowing with specific certainty that this picture was taken at 7:26pm, if you really think about the prior reported timelines from the media -including those above – this photograph appears to destroy many of those previous timeline narratives regarding who was doing what, and when. Specifically it would be interesting to know where was Panetta and Dempsey when this photo was taken?

Previously Reported @ (5 p.m. ET): Just ahead of the weekly meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey, White House National Security Advisor Tom Donilon tells President Obama of the attack and the fire at the main villa. The president is updated several times throughout the evening….

…”updated several times thoughout the evening“…. was this an update? Remember, again, this photo is FOUR hours after the attack began. Would POTUS take a previously scheduled call with Netanyahu at 6:30 ish (1:30am Israel) three hours into a known embassy attack ? Yeah, he was getting beat up by the Republicans about ignoring BiBi, but was that worry stronger than the situation in Benghazi? Lots of questions….

Initially, I thought it was dark outside. But viewing the big version, downloading the full size version, and using zoom, it appears to be twilight. Yet this “metadata” says a full hour and 20 minutes later ?….. hmmmm….

From my vantage point and experience , almost all the words will be legible with the proper software. I’m just angry I am between homes and computers. I forgot that I have to get my expensive software off the old one onto my new one, but my old tired eyes tell me their is a wealth of readable words there. Whether they are important or not? Who knows, it is worth enhancing.

Thinking that tired old phrase, outside the box, my astronomy software is far more sophisticated than any Microsoft product. I just don’t have it right now. We use it to enhance faint images pixel by pixel eliminating hot pixels. Know any astronomers?

Far more sophisticate than Adobe? That’s like the industry standard for photographers. I don’t know any professional photographer that uses anything else but Adobe. There’s no hot pixels in this photo. The writing is in cursive as far as I can tell and extremely small. But do let us know what your astronomer friend says.

Photographer’s equipment pales in comparison to astronomy equipment. Trust me, I’m not jealous it is just a fact. I use both and know Adobe inside and out. I own fine photography equipment and fine astronomy equipment. SBIG, Apogee, STF and many others. The imaging device can include zero defect chips and cost upwards of 10K for an amateur. That does not include a camera lens which on our terms is $20K to $250K for an amateur astronomy setup. I paid $650 for the simple software to process pictures alone. Yes, I do know my photography but the astronomy world is light years beyond in imaging because they have to be. Imaging things billions of years old through our atmosphere with adaptive optics and spending cold nights on mountaintops may help you understand astronomers take ever photon seriously..

I was able to move it out and just plain “make the paper with the chicken-scratching larger”….but the clarity is no better….if somebody was able to take it and move it to photoshop, is there some way of sharpening the blurry stuff?

My spidey senses tell me this convo is when POTUS was told Ambassador Stevens is “missing”, and the CIA team could not locate him. Body language on message delivery, reception by POTUS, stun on VEEP, and straight back/straight up serious on Donilon. Combined with timing. Again, only a hunch…

That dark short forehead hair, eye sockets, and “flat face profile” on the person over the shoulder suggests Jarret. I just did some stuff with decent software and you can only pick out a few words/phrases here and there on the notes. Too bad you can’t enhance those reflections of monitors/laptop screens in the window by O’s shoulder/elbow. I’m betting this photo narrative is bogus anyway.

Those are not monitors. Look again. Your eyes are deceiving you. Those are vehicle windows from two of the cars parked outside the Oval Office. Due to time of day there is some reflective / opaque / transparency issues with the windows.

Could be…looked like the upper “monitor” area was above the possible roofline of the front windscreen of the vehicle. Also, the two “white-ish” blurred obliques line that runs from the front bumper area to the “chair” reflection seems to set up a perspective angle that would not match the angle and size of the rear windows. Looks like a windows dialog box (with lines parallel to photo perspective), but could be a sticker or something on the window. The sun/lighting angle definitely is coming from the front far side of the vehicle if you play with gamma and contrast–stuff closer to the camera drops out.
A bunch of who knows…I massaged the crap out of it with a zillion algos/filters, and the writing is still not clear.
Absolute line 11; “airplanes”? “—ing” “from”
Absolute line 12 “(—pt”
Absolute line 13 “——–” “didn’t but” “——
Absolute line 16; might be “talking today”
Absolute line 18 might be “attack on” as first words.
(that, in of itself, might be important–not “protests”)
Nothing is clear on my stuff–looking mainly at the descenders, placement, and guessing.

Another commenter is right–call JPL or the students that play on the machines there.

It seems odd to me–If those are Biden’s notes from a meeting he would transcribe from top to bottom. Why would “Rice” come up first? (It is not a real clear “Rice” on my manipulated image). Why would a possible “attack” word show up closer to the bottom?
Same for possible “airplanes” and “from” (11) and “interce–[pt]” (12) . I’d expect some SITREP at the top.

Great find, Sundance! Talk about “intrigue”!
By custom sharpening it in Photoshop, I can make out bits and pieces.
5th line: …..”dust up”
…………”position”
BB………
“But explains….from P…”
“B…you……at our not backing off….”
“BB….nothing today”
I think the astronomy software could read the whole thing.
And I agree that the person reflected in the door is Jarrett. She’s standing with her arms folded in front of her.

I agree, great find and more than intriguing. S/D, based on the players and subject of this thread and other info you provide, are you secure? Maybe this should be discussed further “under wraps”.
I would not put ANYTHING past this crew. Rotten to the core.
When more details are confirmed, this needs to go viral.

A commenter “txhurl” over at freerepublic link mentioned earlier in this discussion stream did a black and white negative of the notes which might make the date you seeing plausible with a magnifying glass.

The reason this is not coming out is that it was an intelligence operation. All the survivors are in deep cover in case you have not noticed. It was a raid. They got millions in cash and the weapons stash. At least that is what it appears to me. The weapons were for Syria I would bet. 30 people survived. Where are they???? Somebody blew the cover. They can’t talk because they have all signed on the dotted line.

What the heck are you talking about?….. I have not seen this in one blog, or media outlet. It hit me yesterday, and I have been researching since then. If someone else has this story on their blog or outlet they got it, as in it originated, from here.

I posted the article at 3:49am, if you hover over the date it gives you the time right here on screen. Free Republic picked it up around 11am and shared it. I have no clue what sibiljx is inferring, but I don’t think I like it. :(

Well, nothing screams “ripping off research as your own” like sending out an all-hands request for help in solving the mystery and giving proper attribution to the contributions of the crowdsourcing responses….. sure.

And since when is posting a photo just released a few hours prior as a newsworthy item “ripping off research”??

Of course, this logic is coming from someone who thinks cutting-and-pasting corporate media white house talking points masquerading as “news” constitutes “original research”.

Dang, I thought I was seeing double there for a big because this same post is over there.
At first I thought someone was taking credit for posts made here but it appears Reegs is posting on both sites.
Someone else made an almost identical post to Maggie’s post here re BB being BiBi.

OK, BTDT. Don’t need double vision. :)

Here’s the best I was able to do in Photoshop. Blown up 300%, sharpened and brightness/contrast tweaked. I also changed to grayscale to try to get the text more legible.

OK, that’s really odd. Those pictures were not in the original 9-11-12 photostream. I know because I looked several times for weeks. The only 9-11 POTUS pic that ever showed up was the one of the “year in review” album – which is the one I immediately took notice to because I have been checking.

So why and what? I have no idea. but I can guarantee you they did not exist in that photostream prior to yesterday. And unless I’m a total doofus, there was only the year in review picture as of last night.

We know that the Situation Room was dark and unoccupied, because this is a group that has never NOT exploited a photo-op — this crew would have hustled out photos and contacted their Hollywood buds to start writing the screenplay had the cry for help been handled the way protocol dictated it should have been.

Especially since this group are never shy to trumpet their own horns or take credit for anything even moderately positive, whether it is deserved or not. Only four photos on a very auspicious day released? That says more than I think they realize.

Thanks for that link. While I dispute the author’s ideology, It’s true they control more of the optic than any administration ever before. Of course the guise is one of the first imperatives/priorities for liars and schemers.

Yeah questions of Egypt came up about 3/4 way down article. Nuland was definately doin the Texas 2 Step
“….wall breached and flag removed, replaced with an Al Qaida flag, …no it was a black flag”
((face slap))

“So this picture was taken four hours after the fire-fight started, and they are NOT in the “situation room”.” (SD)

““There is a rumor — I want to be clear, it’s a rumor — that at least two networks have emails from the National Security Adviser’s office telling a counterterrorism group to stand down,” Gingrich said.”

The emails have yet to surface? Unable to track down McDonough’s 9/11/12 schedule thus far, but here’s an excerpt from his speech delivered @ the International Religious Conference delivered on 9/12/13:

” This work takes on added urgency given the truly

abhorrent video that has offended so many people–Muslims, and non-Muslims

In fact, the President first entered public service through the Catholic Church. His work as a young community organizer on the South Side ofbChicago was funded in part by the Catholic churches of Chicago and their Developing Communities Project.

You know who else got his “start” through the generosity of the Catholic Church on the South Side of Chicago?

In the book “The Promised Land: The Great Black Migration and How it Changed America” by Nicholas Lesmann (pg 97)…

One of the few important white people in Chicago who were deeply interested in finding a way to integrate the black migrants into the economic and social life of the city was Saul Alinksy, the intellectual turned labor organizer turned neighborhood activist who ran the Industrial Areas Foundation. Alinsky was very close to Cardinal Stritch, who was a Southerner by upbringing and understood as most Northerners then didn’t the extent to which racial prejudice could come to dominate the texture of a city’s life. The Archdiocese of Chicago was Alinsky’s main ally among the institutions that ran Chicago. It helped fund his operations, and it provided organizational support through a network of sympathetic parish priests.:evil:

“Investigative journalists have provided details on McDonough’s background and work history in politics, but the information that makes McDonough relevant to the continually breaking news on the Fast and Furious scandal is his role in silencing complaints from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)…”

Oh my! Truly. McConough was the one I kept looking at in the pic. Who was he.. I wondered? He seemed so…important. I know all my state capitals, cabinet members who don’t meet, etc… but who was that guy? :)

NO. LOL…. I’m kicking my shins because if you connect this up, it really is a big deal. I bet that pic surfaced a mere day or two after I stopped checking daily. :( For weeks and weeks after 9-11 I was searching for library pics to use in the Benghazi stories we were presenting and I found nothing. Grrrr… mad at myself.

ps. I always scope the WH pics with magnifiers looking for reflections and shadows to detect who is in/around the subject matter – and I would have caught that Biden paper right away….

….and so questions like ytz4mee mentioned “Why no photos/interviews of the survivors?” have a lot of value when they find there way into public discussion, especially if there is an recognizable pattern of delay timed for political purpose.

Good point. I thought of that earlier….. Kinda makes you wonder about foreign press, huh? I mean, if our media peeps won’t dare cross POTUS, you’d think at least one person out there would be interested in that aspect. Yet.. nothing?

Maybe Pravda would work the story for us….seems to me there have been several very interesting bits out of Russia in the last few months….a couple of days ago the editorial suggesting we don’t give up our guns. I can’t imagine what they are actually thinking about this circus. I suspect they know good and well they have nothing to fear from our ESL resident, but as they let that thought sink in, I bet they still have to figure into the mix all of those armed and normal, red-blooded Americans who are nothing like the resident….and normal Americans still give them pause.

Depressing…even when I try to make a funny about it–it’s not funny. Not one bit.

That hand holding would be creepy and funny if their body language was not so stiff. Standing so far apart, this is not affection or a comforting gesture. This is a gesture to assert psycological dominance. Obama is effectively restraining Hillary, forcing her to stand their with them while they reassert the “Mohamed video provoked the violence” line of BS which she later fell on her sword to take the blame for.

I still suspect that Hillary’s repeated injuries are real, but that they are inflicted by Obama’s goons rather than accidents. I would find this amusing if the totalitarian implications were not so ominous. Perhaps the Clintons will rebel soon? A schism within the Democrat party would be extremely useful politically. Might even inspire Speaker Boenher to grow a pair. (a very small pair, but still a pair)

As per article; Executive Branch & State Department holding hands = same side of the Benghazi “story” tho BO & HC look as far apart visually as they could be.
Also when you really think about the group shot above, remember Bidens words at VP debate “we didn’t know” kinda tough arguement now.

Today, the head of Benghazi’s local council, Mahmoud Buraziza, told the Libya Herald that the council and city authorities strongly condemned the incident, saying: “We are against killing, kidnapping or any such crimes, and we are firmly on the side of the law.”

It’s nice that the city authorities are against killing and are on the side of the law. I guess.

Probably we should all be careful of these slimy bastards.Why release this photo now? A trap? At the bottom of the photo is written:
“Sept. 11, 2012
“Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor, left, updates the President and Vice President on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa. National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Chief of Staff Jack Lew are at right.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.”

Comtade Dear and Glorious Ruler rushed to the phone when told there was a call from Benghazi, but threw it down when he realized it was not from Beyonce. He went back to his quarters to get ready for his next-day campaign trip to Las vegas. Some leadership!

Idk, can’t see Jarrett tho im sure she was lurking somewhere but bet she is too smart to get caught in glass reflections. The shown reflections in door glass could be Donolin(sofa in front of him & holding file) or Lew, they both line up according to diagram both with short or no hair so visible full face/skin color.

-snip-
The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), along with the White House News Photographers Association, has complained about access to presidential events before. Sean Elliot, NPPA president, said the Obama administration has a history of “pushing the press to take handouts from the White House photo staff.”

“The simple reality,” Elliot said, “is that the official White House photographer is a staffer and any photos they produce are essentially PR photos. Coverage of the White House and of our government need to be done by an independent press — not by handouts.”
-snip-

You know what has bothered me from day 1 about Benghazi, when the lone “Guard” finally got outside and looked back neither Stevens nor Smith was behind him. How is that possible to lose not 1 but both men you are supposed to be protecting? I think both Stevens & Smith were tortured(electrocuted?) & ultimately killed in that bathroom to get them to show the safe location/combo; those 2 were probably the only ones that knew that info. I think the Guard was told by the killers “if you want to live, get out”.
Where was Smith found in the bathroom? Stevens body was taken & paraded naked through the streets because he was the ultimate trophy.

Look how deep the couch that Donilon is “supposedly”( is he really there?) in front of? Looks like a 2ft seat. Also with that squared coffee table (not oval as in diagram) barely any room for any one to stand between and also with its darkened outline looks added to photo as well. Phony photo ops as fake as Obama administration.

Obama and one other guy are standing around with their hands in their pockets. This doesn’t look so much like “five guys managing a crisis”, so much as it does “guys milling around after a routine meeting, with no place in particular to go and no special hurry to get there”.